Holger Rune beats world number one, but still being criticised for on court behaviour

Danish tennis player Holger Rune just seconds ago beat the world number one, Carlos Alcaraz, at the Paris Rolex Masters.

Leading 6-3, 6-6, the Spaniard retired to hand the 19-year-old the biggest scalp of his career.

In the space of just two weeks he has won the Stockholm Open, reached the final of the Swiss Indoors tournament in Basel and now reached the semi-finals of the Paris Rolex Masters.

Continue like this for much longer, and he could end up breaking into the top 10. Heading into 2023, he might fancy his chances of making a grand slam final. Roland Garros, where he bowed out in the quarters this year, is a distinct possibility.

Can he leave behind his Mummy issues?
But while Rune is on fire, his temperament has been too fiery for some. At the net, moments after beating multiple grand slam winner Stan Wawrinka in the first round in Paris, the Swiss player told him: “My advice to you is that you stop acting like a little baby on the court.”

Rune, a 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 winner, looked shocked, and it was left to his mother to do the talking.

“I have a hard time imagining that a sportsman like Stan would have said that. He would come across as an exceptionally bad loser. Holger has only mentioned that he congratulated him on the results of recent weeks,” assured Rune’s mother to TV2.

It follows complaints made by Stefanos Tsitsipas at the French Open and a heated encounter with Carsten Rune in which the young Dane told his mother to leave the stadium.

Nevertheless, the teenager is now 18th in the world – his best career ranking – and he will probably break into top 15 after Paris.




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